Traditionally, lead-acid batteries for starting, lighting, and ignition ("SLI") automobiles and other vehicles have utilized top terminals. The necessary electrical formation of these batteries after assembly is straightforward. Thus, the upstanding top terminal posts can be readily attached to the formation/charging equipment by leads having clamps. Attachment and detachment of the lead to, and from, the battery posts is not that labor intensive, even considering the large number of batteries resulting from current automobile battery production lines.
However, one automobile manufacturer has for many years made automobiles which require alternative terminal configuration. More particularly, such batteries, commonly termed "side terminal batteries", have the terminals located on a front side wall of the battery container, typically being located below the level of electrolyte in the battery.
For this reason, as well as under-the-hood spatial considerations and other reasons, the configuration of the side terminals is different from that of the top terminal posts. Moreover, many different configurations have been used, among other reasons, due to the need to have an electrolyte-tight side terminal (i.e. adequate resistance to electrolyte leaking through or around the side terminal).
In general, such side terminals are located on the front side wall of the container in which a threaded terminal was positioned, desirably assembled so that the interface between the collar and the threaded terminal was electrolyte-tight. Usually, the threaded side terminal consisted of a cast or fused lead alloy part having an insert threaded to accept the battery cables of the automobile.
The formation of side terminal batteries is extremely cumbersome and labor intensive. Specifically, the charging cables typically employ a post clamp lead, as is used with traditional top post terminal batteries. Since such post clamp leads cannot be directly attached to the side terminals, adapters are commonly used to permit formation with the traditional post clamp leads. Such adapters typically employ a threaded shaft on one end to engage the side terminal and a post terminal connection on the opposite end to correspond with the post clamp lead. After threading the adapters into the side terminals, the standard battery charging cables having post clamp leads may be utilized. Adaptation of the side terminals requires threading into each battery's side terminal an adapter which must be subsequently removed after charging. Additionally, during production, the post clamp lead is usually placed over the tapered post terminal adapter to create an interference or friction fit. The resulting electrical connection between the post terminal adapter and the post clamp lead is often loose and results in a high resistance connection that may melt and distort the terminal.
The result is that the formation of side terminal batteries is not only laborious but also may be somewhat ineffective. Given the large number of batteries involved in the typical commercial line, this is a significant problem. Yet, this less than desirable situation has endured for many years. There accordingly exists a clear need for a more effective and efficient method of forming assembled side terminal batteries.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a more effective and efficient means of charging side terminal batteries.
More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a side terminal designed to readily receive a lead for charging without the use of a threaded fastener or adapter.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide an intimate connection between the side terminal and the lead during battery formation.
A still further object of this invention is to reduce manufacturing costs associated with the production of side terminal batteries.
These and other objects will be apparent from the following description and drawings.